This summer I travelled to Beijing for a training project with my research group. I can still remember the scene where we were departing. It was a sultry day, the thermometer reading inching up to nearly 40 degrees Celsius. I hurried into the train carriage to enjoy the air conditioning. It was boarding time and the hubbub around unnerved me. I tried to cool down by listening to some music on the earphones.

I was immersed in the tunes when something hit my legs. Pulling my legs back, I noticed a family of three busily placing their baggage on the rack. The father apologised and I responded with a smile.

After the train started and pulled out of the station, I could not help but eye the family out of curiosity. There was a warm smile on their faces. The child, a six-year-old, behaved quite differently from most kids her age. I had been distressed before by a lot of brats around me, but this little girl was angelically quiet and sweet. No matter what the environment was, there was a serene ambience around the family.

Having chatted with them briefly, I learned that the couple were both teachers. They were on a trip up to Beijing. When they were talking amongst themselves, I found their conversations were not about entertainment or something vulgar. Instead, they discussed culture, history and society. It dawned on me that there was something in the family’s lifestyle that appealed to me, yet I could not place it.

After the sun set and night closed in, I cast my eyes out of the window. Seeing the vague landscape fleeting by, I wondered what kind of life I should be living after I became an adult. The teacher family seated across from me on the train was a clue to the answer.